Lulu

*Lulu II update...We did find an identical koala substitute, and he is safely hidden in our closet ;)

meet Lulu

the newest member of our family.

this rather odd looking stuffed animal was

a gift from grandma to Gracie after her hospital stay,

and has become

an answer to prayer.

one of the biggest hurdles we anticipated

in our adoption process was the issue of attachment.

other than the 2 weeks in China and some

difficult moments when we returned home,

Gracie has attached to us as her family beautifully.

it's been a true gift from God.

( how in the world He placed our sense of humor

in that little Asian brain is amazing!)

since we have been home

(HARD to believe it will be a year this summer)

Gracie has had to learn to play...

what a bizarre concept!

for someone coming from an orphanage where

there was only a handful of toys,
the art of play and imagination have basically

been learned by this little sponge of a toddler.

early on, Gracie was terrified of stuffed animals and dolls,

and has, since Christmas time, begun playing with

them, and even preferring some over others.

enter Lulu

Gracie has attached to this little stuffed koala

(at least that's what the tag says it is)

like you wouldn't believe.

we are seeing signs of nurturing and

ownership...

Let me tell you why this is huge.

Gracie has started saying "mine" & Gracie's"

(in her "Gracie-ese" of course)

she was brought into a home of

five people, relatively comfortable in their own skin,

who knew as Americans the definition of "mine."

Our biological children have always known

a level of' love and comfort that has

enabled them to

own possessions (toys, clothes, etc.)

and know that those things are theirs.

there is security in that.

this may not be huge to someone else,

but to us it is a huge deal.

as God lavishes His love on us as parents,

we feebly attempt to pass that love on to our kids,

and now we see it being birthed out in Gracie

as she attaches to, and feels ownership of

her new little friend.

ok, so it's not so cute when you hear

"Lulu 'ear"!! (bear) at 2 am when

she can't find him in her crib,

but we have all loved watching

this friendship blossom!

(if anyone would like to donate a spare koala

or two, we'd greatly appreciate it. Lulu fell out of the

van one day, and thank goodness was later found by one of

Quinn's teachers...gnashing of teeth i tell ya!)